LIMESTONE COUNTY, Alabama -- While
many homes and businesses have rebuilt in the wake of April 27, 2011 tornadoes,
evidence of the storms massive destruction remains evident where thousands of
trees were uprooted or ripped apart.

Limestone County will receive hundreds of free trees and saplings to replace trees damaged and destroyed by tornadoes. (File photo)

Two local groups, however, have begun to remake the landscape by tapping into
two state programs in an effort to replace trees felled by the storms, the
Athens News Courier reports.

Betty Ann Broman of the local ACES
offices said Limestone was one of several counties to receive dozens of trees
from a grant submitted in Cullman County, on the condition they be planted in
public places, one of which being the tornado memorial.

An Alabama Cooperative Extension System grant provided the three red maples that
4-H junior leaders planted Saturday at the site of the county's tornado
memorial on U.S. 72.

Three other locations receiving
dozens trees from the grant are Limestone Correctional Facility, Blue Springs
Elementary School and the Limestone County Technical School.

Statewide, the Alabama Forestry
Commission estimates that 177,857 acres of forestation, valued at $228 million,
was damaged or destroyed on April 27. In Limestone County, approximately 2,068
acres of forest was damaged or destroyed, the News Courier reports.

The prison, hit by a tornado last
March, received eight to 10 trees in December. While Blue Springs didn't take a
direct storm hit, the three-year-old school qualified for the trees under the terms of the grant and
will get 39 trees and 20 crepe myrtles.

"The school was built in an open
field, so we have no trees on campus," Randy Hamilton, Blue Springs principal, told
the News Courier. "We're just trying to soften the landscape and add to the
school's appearance."

Another statewide program, the
Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign, will provide more than 5,000 seedlings to
Limestone County residents on Feb. 16.

Sponsored by the Alabama Forestry
Commission and Arbor Day Foundation, the giveaway will occur at 10 a.m. at Big
Spring Memorial Park in Athens. Residents may be asked to provide proof of
residency in Limestone County, such as a utility bill and identification.

Residents will be asked to fill out
an order form before arriving. Those who are unsure about what seedlings to
choose can walk in for a closer look. The form is available at Keep Athens
Limestone Beautiful.